


Teenage Dirtbag

by jemrio



Category: Descendants (2015)
Genre: Awkward Crush, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Multi, One-Sided Attraction, Social Anxiety, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-05-14 17:21:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5751703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jemrio/pseuds/jemrio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tess Porter isn't royal, but she's okay with that. In general, life is pretty sweet for the descendants of the Good Side, and Tess is happy... mostly. Romance tends to be a drag when all the boys want the Princess instead of the jungle girl. Tess feels like a backup plan. She wants more than a pretty kiss from a posh & polished princeling, more than a cute date with a polite boy. After the new students shake up the school, Tess begins to feel a little shaken up herself, and developing a growing desire for something a little bit wicked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. To Die For

**Author's Note:**

> To clarify, Tess is the teenage dirtbag.
> 
> Also, see what Tess and Dewey look like:  
> http://unconsciousxreality.tumblr.com/post/137534589849/haley-lu-richardson-as-tess-porter-daughter-of

The dancing had been going on for a good hour, even after the crescendo of singing and celebration under the bright, firework-lit night sky. Laughter and squeals of glee filled the air as the back quad swirled with all manner of silky color and glittering luster; every dress, every dashing suit and twinkling crown adorning every royal brow was a work of art, the same as the breathless smile of those who wore them. After an excitingly terrifying coronation surprise, all the students of Auradon Prep were keyed up and eager to let loose.

Tess leaned across the baluster, chin on her hands, wishing to every known genie she had the courage to traipse down the stairs and join in the merriment below. After the initial explosion of dancing, most of the students who had been on the stone balconies gravitated to the lower dais and wide back lawn. The ever-quick royal attendants had swiftly set up chairs and cloth covered tables in their wake, before sparingly dotting them across the lawn for those dancers who might require a respite, or a sip of spicy cider to liven them once more.

Tess followed the graceful movements of the royalty with her eyes, a soft, dreamy smile appearing at her lips as she did. They were all so beautiful, so elegant and vibrant… it was times like these that Tess felt the most different from her fellow classmates. She watched Audrey and Lonnie giggle behind manicured hands as they twirled in those gorgeous dresses; Tess felt plain by comparison, in a simple dappled yellow shift. Dewey had assured her it looked wonderful, and it did remind Tess of home—of the sun-mottled roof on her father’s bungalow, and the warm rays filtering through the tall canopy trees to the jungle floor. It was what made her buy the dress immediately off the rack, not even trying it on. She liked it very much, but it just couldn't compare to the flowing pink confection donned by the princess.

“T, would you stop staring and just get down there already?” Dewey said, coming to stand beside her friend at the railing. Tess blushed, caught.

“Oh, I couldn’t; I’d only embarrass myself anyway… did you see Audrey’s dress? God, it must be so nice having royal tailors.” She sighed, glancing up at Dewey. The taller girl wore a tight green gown that clung to her slender, fairy curves; she’d cut the slit up the side herself, smirking at the updated version of her mother’s signature sheathe mini.

“And how the hell would you, the _principle_ _dancer_ in Auradon’s best ballet class embarrass yourself at _dancing_?” Dewey needled in exasperation. “And don’t tell me it’s ‘a totally different dance style’ because I’ve seen you dance in the mirror in our dorm T. You’re good at it.”

“Shut up, it’s still different,” Tess said. “Look, their all dancing with partners now. You know I always make a fool of myself with those princely types…” She trailed off, eyes glazing over slightly as they lit upon the decidedly un-princley vision in red that was now dancing startlingly close to the aforementioned Princess Audrey. Dewey followed her friends sightline and gave a short, disbelieving laugh.

“Oh my god, Jay?! Damn, Audrey moves on quick.” She giggled.

Tess flushed, chest suddenly tight. She felt the familiar bite of jealousy deep in her gut, and the corners of her mouth turned down out of reflex. As she watched, Jay’s arm snaked around Audrey’s waist, and Tess swore she could almost feel his burning, sultry gaze even all the way up here. Crestfallen, Tess withdrew from the railing, arms wrapping around herself in attempt to squeeze away the sudden miserable mood that had settled over her. Her possessiveness of Jay was completely unfounded; she’d never even spoken to the former villain. The attraction she felt was a one way street. She doubted he’d ever noticed her as person, let alone a possible romantic interest. Ever since the VK’s had arrived, Tess’s heart had been beating overtime. The first time she’d seen Jay on campus, in that red leather vest, bronzed bare arms flexing in the sun… Tess spent at least 15 minutes in the bathroom after that, struggling to get her breathing under control. It was textbook infatuation.

“Hey,” Dewey said, noticing her friend’s change in demeanor. “Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I mean, they’re just dancing right?” She moved closer and put her arm around Tess’s shoulder. Dewey’s platinum bun wiggled a little as she pulled Tess towards the stairs. “C’mon T, let’s show them how it’s done.”

Tess smiled. “Yeah, okay.” She wanted to feel good again. Dancing with her best friend could only help, right?

Half an hour later, the two girls were entrenched in an intense dance battle with a crowd of other non-royal Auradonians. The music pounded in Tess’s ears, and her cheeks ached from the smile that would not fade. She stood en pointe (heeled sandals discarded somewhere in the grass) in the center of a cheering circle of her friends, gathering her bearings before she attempted to break her previous pirouette record. As she spun, hair whipping in her face and laughter spilling from her lips, Tess felt beautiful for the first time that night.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Audrey had proved to be an enthusiastic dancer, and surprisingly responsive to Jay’s flirting. He chalked it up to the mood of the night as he left her at a lawn table to hunt down the punch bowl. A happy smirk played on Jay’s lips as he weaved through the crowd of students; this was even more fun than tourney games. He chalked _that_ up to not having the threat of his dad or the rest of the villain parents at the back of his mind.

They were free now. Free to dance, and to do _good_ _things_ , and be who they wanted to be. He looked over at Mal, wrapped up in the embrace of the newly crowned King Ben, and something in Jay’s chest did a little happy shimmy shake. It was a new feeling, this genuine happiness for his friends, but not altogether unpleasant. He actually quite liked it. He liked being able to feel these things, to be softer and sentimental and not be afraid he might get cuffed over the head for it.

Jay found the refreshment table eventually, and began to immediately load up a plate for himself and Carlos. (This was another new thing; being freely considerate. Jay liked that too.) He was just tucking a bottle of spicy cider into his back pocket when a cheer went up somewhere behind him. Curious, Jay paused in the middle of stuffing a cupcake in his mouth to turn and seek out the cause of the excitement. He saw a crowd of students surrounding a girl twirling—and twirling and twirling, twirling so much and so fast that Jay himself got dizzy. He smiled and licked the icing off his thumb; he’d have to find out who that girl was so she could teach him how to do that. Jay looked away for a moment to pile a few more currant pastries onto his plate, and when he looked back the girl had stopped spinning. She was laughing now, face red and glowing, with a taller girl that had high cheekbones glittering with the distinct shine of fairy dust. Jay’s head tilted as he observed the twirl-girl (he really needed to know her name) in the simple yellow dress. She was small but solid, fit and athletic looking. Her long brown hair trailed freely over her shoulders, the wavy strands uncontrived and natural. There was a wildness to her wide smile that Jay found distinctly alluring.

He shook his head and tried in vain to refocus. The sounds of the party rushed back into his ears.

“Yo, Jay! Aw nice, you grabbed some of those currant cakes.”

Jay blinked as he was suddenly divested of the heavy plate in his hands. In his distraction, Jay hadn’t noticed Carlos bound up. The smaller boy sandwiched a few different pastries together and stuffed the whole thing in his mouth. Jay had to laugh.

“Yup! They’re the best, aren't they?” He flipped the bottle of cider in the air, watching the outdoor lights glint off the deep blue glass (and watching twirl-girl out of the corner of his eye).  
“Let’s go see if Evie wants any. She’s been dancing all night, I bet she hasn't had time to even sit down.”

Carlos agreed immediately, and the two set off to find their blue haired friend. Jay took one last look at the girl in the yellow dress, but was startled to find she’s disappeared.


	2. Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited and expanded as of 7/8/16!

Out of breathe was an understatement. Tess felt like her lungs were going to burn right out of her chest. She’d broken her pirouette record (by 10 turns no less), and her hand was now stinging from all the high fives. Tess was happy. Over the moon really; but the crowd and music and excitement were starting to get to her. All she wanted at the moment was to crawl into a quiet hammock atop the bungalow back home and watch the stars as the nighttime sounds of the jungle lulled her to sleep. Since she definitely wasn't going to get that tonight (and somehow the thought of going inside to her dorm room made her feel claustrophobic) Tess decided a trip to the empty tourney field was in order.

She caught up with Dewey at a table towards the edge of the lawn.

“Dewey, hey; I’m gonna go rest for a little, kay? I’m fine I promise, just need a little quiet is all,” she added at the concerned look on Dewey’s face. The fairy girl nodded, understanding.

“Sure thing, T. I’ll save you some blueberry pastries.” Dewey winked and kissed her on both cheeks. Tess placed a hand over her heart and pretended to be overcome with emotion.

“My goodness, Thistledew Bell, aren’t you just the sweetest thing!”

Dewey threw her head back and cackled as Tess scampered away, waving at their friends as she passed. She wove her way across the lawn, picking up her shoes and threading the straps around her wrist. The fluffy green grass felt cool and soft against her feet. At home, she was almost always barefoot, just like her father. She’d learned to crave the rough feel of a Kapok tree trunk, or the mossy caress of the vines and tall roots.

Tess swung her arms and imagined she was back at the edge of a wide waterfall pool, jumping from rock to rock, avoiding the slippery ones in a slightly dangerous but altogether thrilling game of chance. She sighed. It’d been several months since she’d been home, and even longer since she’d been to London to visit her mom. Normally she spent a month of the summer vacation at either place, with alternating holidays, but this past summer her mom had left on an expedition to Siberia, leaving Tess to spend both months with her father. While she enjoyed the the extra time at the bungalow, Tess found herself acutely missing her mother’s kind smile and shower of adoration.

Tess breathed deeply the clear, cool night air of Auradon. It wasn't the jungle, but she’d learned to love it. The cloudless sky boasted an impressive swath of bright stars across the blackness. With each step she took, the sounds of the coronation party faded a little more. As she made a beeline for the tourney field, Tess gave a little twirl here and there, soaking up the magic of the night.

The bleachers were cold against her thighs. She pondered briefly the thought of popping into the dorm for a sweater, or even a pair of pants, but the empty field was glowing under the bright moon, and Tess didn’t want to leave this view for a moment.

“Let's set it off, oh, yeah…” She murmured the melody absentmindedly, half smiling, as she tapped her toes against the metal beneath her. “Start a chain reaction, and never let it stop.” Tess hummed along to the song in her head.

“You have a nice voice,” someone said, the sudden complement from somewhere to her left startled Tess so much she fell off the metal bench.  “Oh shit, I’m so sorry, I thought you knew I was here!”

Tess looked up in confusion as a boy appeared at the bottom of the bleachers. He rushed up the steps and held out a hand to help, but Tess had already righted herself. He pulled his hand back awkwardly as she dusted herself off.

“No, it’s cool; I’m sorry, I was off in dreamland I guess…” Tess let her sentence trail off as she noticed just who the boy standing in front of her was.

Jay looked particularly striking under the light of the moon, the shadows enhancing his already dramatic jawline. Tess felt her mouth dry up. _Oh_ _no_. _Oh_ _no_ _no_ _no_. _He’s_ _smiling_ _at_ _me_. _Why_ _in_ _the name of all that is good is he smiling at me?_  

Tess sat back down on the bleachers, fearing her jelly legs might not hold her up for another second. To her horror, Jay sat down next to her.

“Really, it’s my bad. I’m so used to creeping around. Y’know, thieving and all that,” Jay said, laughing a little. Tess bit her lip, unsure of how to reply. Was he really making light of the situation or would this be a potentially dangerous conversation topic?

Tess gave a chuckle. “Well, you are remarkably good at it.”

Jay smiled and said, “I hope I can put it to good use over here, though I’m not sure how sneaking and pilfering can be applied in any positive way.”

“You could always become a sneaky farmer. I hear chickens these days are pretty wary of egg thieves.” Tess cringed a little at her lame joke, but Jay just laughed again. A pleased flutter went up in her chest as she held back a grin. He had such a pretty laugh.

“Resourceful; I like it. Oh, I’m Jay by the way."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twirl-girl rolled her eyes just slightly.

“Yeah, I know that. You and your friends are basically all the school’s been talking about for the last month.” The wildness he’d seen in her smile before was reflected in her grey-blue eyes up this close. “I’m Tess.”

Out of reflex he ran through his stored memories of Fairytale figures, trying to match the girl in front of him to her parents.

“Tess…” He left room for an expected last name. Tess gave a wry smile.

“Tess Porter; but you wouldn't know my parents. I’m not royalty or anything.” She was smiling, but she seemed uncomfortable. Jay noticed she tightened her arms around her as she said it.  

“Try me,” Jay leaned toward her, mischievous. “I did pretty well in Fairytale History,” he lied.

Tess snorted, as if she knew he’d bombed every test he’d taken. But she did answer.

“Alright. My dad is Tarzan and my mom is Jane Porter.” Tess’s voice lowered slightly when she said the names, still uncomfortable. Still… Ashamed? No, Jay must be reading her wrong. How could anyone be ashamed of such good parents? His brain lit up as he recognized the names.

“I do know your parents!” Jay raised his arms in victory. “I went to school with Clay Clayton, over on the Island. He was a real twerp, I’m glad your dad beat up his dad.” Tess looked surprised.

“Clayton had a kid? Wow. I wonder if my mom knows… And okay, fine, I’ll give it to ya; you do know your fairytale history.” Somehow he’d migrated close enough to her on the bench that she could bump his shoulder with her own. Tess blushed at the contact, like she hadn't really meant for it to happen. Jay’s head tilted again as he tried to read her. Tess Porter was certainly a singularity in the Auradonian student matrix. Jay smiled and scoffed.

“Of course I do. I said I did, didn’t I?”

“Oh, like you never lie.” Tess was smiling, and it was just harmless teasing. But Jay couldn't help feeling a little guilty. He had spent his entire life lying. And cheating. And stealing. He made himself focus on her instead of his own insecurities. When he did, he noticed she was shivering.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tess felt maybe she had crossed a line. The mischievous glint in Jay’s eyes had faded for a moment after her comment, and she felt the chill of the night more intently without it. He had been so nice to her, there wasn't any need to resort to shallow gibes, even if they were completely innocent.  
But in the next moment, Jay was standing up and unbuttoning his red leather jacket, and shrugging out of it. And in the next moment after that, Tess was shocked to find the weight of it across her own shoulders. She touched the lapel, savoring the warmth the material still had from being on Jay’s body, then looked up at him with a huge smile.

“I guess that Remedial Goodness class is really working huh?”

Jay crossed his arms and shrugged. “Yeah, well. I figure I’ve chosen to be good so… I might as well, y’know. Be good.” He looked across the field, fidgeting with his hands. He looked up, down, here and there, everywhere but at Tess. She beamed at him.

“I think you’re gonna be really good at it, Jay.”

He quit fidgeting for a second, looking surprised at her words. She got the feeling not a lot of people expressed genuine belief in the son of Jafar. No matter how distant Tess may feel from the Auradon royalty, she knew Jay would always have a bigger gap to jump; a sharper cliff to climb. She had at least been born on the right side of the bay. Jay had to beat centuries of hate and mistrust.

He looked very small for a moment, even with his broad shoulders and strong muscles. Jay looked at her with a tilt to his head, like a curious puppy. “Thanks Tess. That—that means a lot.”

His gorgeous dark eyes were simply too much in that moment. Tess knew if she didn't make a getaway soon, she'd say something foolish. With that in mind, she stood (with very little grace or decorum) and reached out to awkwardly touch Jay's shoulder. 

"I, I believe in you. In all of you. Um, but I've gotta go now so... Bye!" Tess stammered out a sort-of-explanation, and took off. Still holding his jacket around her. She cursed as she scurried towards the dorm, nearly falling down the bleachers _again._

_Damn. This is really going to come back and bite me in the ass._

_\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Jay stared after her retreating figure, befuddled.  _ Was it something I said?  _ He replayed the conversation in his head.  _ I thought that was going pretty good. Did I insult her somehow?  _ Jay frowned. He didn’t think so. 

Confusion clouded his eyes and settled into stiff muscles as he crossed his arms. He jumped down off the bleachers and began making his way back to the quad. All he’d wanted to do was give her a complement— _ which is  _ good _ , right? They  _ love _ complements in Auradon _ —and ask her how to do that twirly thing. Jay hadn’t even made it to the asking before she ran away. All he’d done was learn her name and talk about thieving…

Jay stopped in his tracks, a familiar tickle of anger and just a hint of misery blooming in his chest.

_ Was she scared of me? _

Everyone had been scared of him when he arrived. Those who weren’t terrified (and even some of those who were) glared at him, a silent wave of hate and distrust. While he knew he deserved it for all the evil he’d done in his life, Jay was hurt by their needling judgment all the same. He’d been glad as it faded away, as he’d joined the tourney team, and Ben fell for Mal, and Carlos found the affection he’d always needed in Dude… but Jay remembered distinctly the feeling of it all being taken away at Parents Day. It had all happened so fast. One minute he was joking with Ben and a couple of their teammates, and the next he was hightailing it out of there, that wave of distrust and anger hot on his trail.

_ For all their goodness, these Auradonians can hate just as well as any villain. _

Jay clenched his fists. After the Maleficent debacle at the coronation, he’d thought that was all in the past.  _ I mean, we  _ chose _ to be good. All of us! _

Jay was still brooding when he made it back to the party. Things had cooled down even more since he’d left to find Tess, and students were beginning to trickle back towards the dormitories in anticipation of Fairy Godmother’s 1 am curfew. Evie and Carlos sat together at one of the lawn tables, passing the bottle of spicy cider between them. They were smiling and laughing, and Jay felt his mood lighten considerably as he neared his two friends.

“Hey Jay! Where’ve you been?” Evie greeted him with that sly grin of hers. “You missed Mal and Ben sneaking off together.”

“Ha! They  _ thought _ they were sneaking.” Carlos snickered. He took a bite out of a finger sandwich before feeding the rest to Dude, who was seated on the chair beside him. Jay ruffled Dude’s fur as he sat down.

“Y’think they snuck off to your dorm room?” He asked Evie, who in turn looked scandalized.

“ _ Oh no _ .” She gave a little gasp as her hands flew up to her mouth.

Jay and Carlos fell to giggles as Evie turned a pretty shade of red.


	3. Rush

Into your head, into your mind  
Out of your soul, race through your veins  
You can't escape, you can't escape

Into your life, into your dreams  
Out of the dark, sunlight again  
You can't explain, you can't explain

**Aly & AJ - Rush**

* * *

_She was standing in the shallows of a clear pool, water rippling around her calf muscles and the vibrant buzzing of the jungle filling her ears. A heavy humidity settled against her, pooling in her lungs with every breath. Sweat beaded at the nape of her neck and on her chest. At first the heavy air didn't bother her, but after a moment it seemed to seep right into her skin, and suddenly all Tess could feel was warmth. A radiating heat, deep down between her hips. She wiggled a little, frowning and flexing her toes against the pebbly pool floor, but the nagging sensation remained. Tess scrunched her up her nose._

_She walked forward slowly, savoring the little shocks upon her skin the deeper she submerged. Soon the water was chest high, wrapping her in a cold embrace; the waterline tickled the skin between her shoulder blades, and somehow the contact only stoked the embers behind her belly button. Tess stretched out her arms into the deep, pulling them back and forth against the light resistance of the water._

_All at once, a desire to feel something solid filled her mind; she thought for a moment about returning to the pool's rocky edge, but the thought was abandoned quickly when she spotted a mossy alcove across from her, about a ten foot climb up into a rock face._

_She'd have to swim the diameter of the pool to get to it._

_Tess dawdled, enjoying the swishing sound her body made as she moved in the water, but then the gnawing returned to her gut. The nameless desire made her ears ring, made her veins heat as if she was a kettle put on to boil. The cool water welcomed her as she dove beneath the surface just to make the heat ebb. It halfway worked; Tess kicked her legs and swam quickly to the opposite edge. Her heart raced in a familiar way when she emerged at the base of the rock face, like there was something up there for her to find._

_The ledge was slick from humidity, but not difficult to scale. Water ran in rivulets down her body as she climbed. Distant elephant trumpets sounded, echoing in the rock. When she crested the top, pulling herself into the alcove, Tess found the source of her fast-beating heart._

_Jay stood in the far corner, tall and broad, lean upper body exposed and dripping from making the same swim Tess had. He was at her side a second later, reaching a hand to help her stand up._

_"_ _You made it," he said, hugging her._

_Tess shivered at the contact; warmth flared behind her bellybutton and she knew this was what she'd been looking for. "Yeah, it wasn't too hard; how'd you find this place?" She mapped his back with her hands, tracing the muscle and tendons beneath the smooth skin._

_"_ _Curiosity, mostly." Jay was smiling when they parted, but something burned behind his dark eyes. He held her, arms around her waist and head tilted close._

_"_ _Didn't curiosity kill the cat?" Tess asked. She felt their hips connect as he moved even closer. Her body thrummed with nervous energy, every part of her tightly coiled in anticipation. The words didn't matter; they were empty, like lines off a script. What mattered was the heat, the burning,_ devouring _desire._ That's all that ever mattered,  _she thought._

_Jay rolled his eyes, the ghost of a smirk playing on his lips._

_"_ _Yeah, but satisfaction brought it back."_

_He pulled her in for a dizzying, searing kiss, lips parted from the start. There was nothing chaste or simple about it. Her hands knotted in his long hair, his palmed her ass. The heat in her veins spilled out into every part of her, sizzling in her nerve endings. Tess felt it in her very bones._ Finally.

_Jay's lips lifted from hers and immediately settled against her neck, scraping his teeth and tongue along her skin, making her moan. Her hips undulated out of reflex, eliciting a sound from Jay that made her feel wicked. His hands moved to grip her waist, and suddenly there was mossy stone against her back. He pressed her to the wall of the alcove, mouth back on hers. She was delirious with want, high on the smell of him enveloping her, drunk on the taste of his tongue. Tess's back arched as his hand travelled between her legs…_

_**BRRRRIINNGGG BBBRRRIIINNNGGG** _

Tess lurched awake, sticky with sweat and other things. She slapped a hand down on her alarm clock to quiet the shrill contraption, still a little lightheaded as she emerged from her dream state. Sunlight filtered through the half-drawn curtains of her and Dewey's dorm room, illuminating the clothing cluttered floor. Her dress lay discarded among small piles of laundry and textbooks, but clutched tightly in her grasp was Jay's red leather jacket.

_Oh fuck._

Anxiety filled her as images from the night before came flooding back.  _His jacket. I stole his jacket._

"I've officially lost it," Tess murmured, feeling a bit faint.

"Lost what?" Dewey's groggy voice rose from across the room, beneath the layers of dark green sheets on her bed.

"My mind. My dignity. Any chance of making it through this semester without being the laughing stock of the entire school. Really, take your pick." Tess flung back the covers and swung her feet to the floor.  _Okay, breathe; just breathe dammit._ Agitation moved her hands to fidget as she stared holes in the jacket.

Dewey sat up, arms over her head in a child-like stretch, before releasing a comically big yawn.

"Oh don't be so dramatic T," she said, jumping out of her bed and padding over to her dresser. "I'm sure whatever you did was not even—" she stopped short as she passed Tess' bed, eyes alighting on the same piece of outerwear Tess had been fretting over. Tess saw the shock register on her friends face, replaced almost immediately by a roguish glee.

"OH MY GOD YOU FUCKED JAY," she yelled.

"What?! NO!" Tess screeched, panic coursing through her as she vaulted off the bed to tackle Dewey to the ground. They tumbled for a moment, until the sound of a bedside table crashing to the ground halted them.

"Dewey,  _please,_ " Tess said, slightly out of breath. "Not so  _loud_." She cringed as one last bauble fell from her desk. Dewey sat on her knees, looking positively beside herself.

"Holy shit I knew you could do it T,  _I knew it_ , I knew you could do it  _wow_  this is so awesome!" She whisper-shouted, clapping her hands silently and grinning.

"Stop it! I didn't do anything!"

"Alright, so you  _didn't_  fuck him—"

"God,  _no I did not fuck him_ , have you  _met_  me?"

"—you just somehow ended up sleeping with his jacket in your bed," Dewey finished, eyebrow cocked. "You realize how shady that sounds, right?"

Tess buried her face in her hands. "Nothing happened okay? I was cold so he lent me his jacket, then I, being the resident idiot, took off before giving it back and now I'll never be able to face him again." The embarrassment rolled off her in waves.

Dewey looked almost disappointed. "Aw. I was so pumped for you T," she said, before pausing. She looked up at the jacket, then back at Tess. "So wait, that's where you were after you wandered off? Hanging out with  _Jay_?" The disappointment faded almost as quickly as it appeared.

"Well yeah, but nothing—"

" _Some_ thing obviously happened. You ended the night spooning his  _jacket_."

Tess crossed her legs and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before continuing. "We chatted," she allowed. "That's it. Then I guess he noticed I was cold and let me have his coat. Then I ran away like a fucking asshole…" she added, groaning. "And to top it all off, I had a sex dream about him and now I'll never be able to look him in the eye again."

"Oh, sex dreams are great; how was dream-Jay?"

Dewey went to her closet and began the search for the day's outfit. Tess threw her arms up in exasperation, deciding that if this conversation was going to happen, she may as well stop fighting it. She began picking up the scattered baubles and trophies that had been upset during their brief scuffle, dusting the ones that needed dusting with the corner of her tank top.

"He was strong. And warm. Really warm… and the muscles were wonderful," she said, straightening her display of riverbed stones. "He kissed me and pushed me up against the wall of a cave. I woke up before it got good though." Tess was beginning to feel a little of the aforementioned warmth seep back into her skin as she remembered more of the dream. She started picking up her textbooks to distract herself.

"Sounds amazing," Dewey sighed as she shimmied into a pair of jeans. "How is this a problem exactly? I mean, I have those reoccurring wet dreams about Jordan and it doesn't get in the way of anything; we're in study group together."

"Not the same thing," Tess assured her. "You and Jordan have been friends for ages; I barely know Jay. How can I be a normal human being around him when all I'm picturing is him moaning and naked?" She shivered, remembering just what she'd done to make dream-Jay moan like that. "Ugh, I need a shower." Tess muttered, grabbing her towel from her desk chair and fleeing into their shared bathroom.

"A  _cold_  shower!" Dewey yelled before the door was slammed in her snickering face.

~X~

Dewey had already left for breakfast by the time Tess was done getting ready. After she'd filled up her backpack and shrugged into her favorite worn brown cardigan, Tess stood at the foot of her bed wondering what to do with the rumpled leather jacket that lay there.  _If I could drop it in some common area, I bet it'd eventually get back to him… Ugh, good enough._

She took the long way, meandering around the perimeter of campus, hoping not to run into anyone while she was still so distracted by her dream. It wasn't like she'd never had a sexy dream about a classmate before; after the last tourney championship, she had went to bed with a number of the player's dream versions. There'd even been one or two starring Audrey, believe it or not. But somehow this dream with Jay was really and truly messing with her head.  _Maybe because it was set at home?_ Tess breathed in the clear air of a brand new Auradonian morning and tried in vain to distance her thoughts from Jay.

The eastern bit of campus merged with a grove of dogwood, under which a tributary of Glisten River ran. The groundskeepers had erected a number of picturesque wooden bridges over the large stream, and Tess crossed over the smallest one to continue on her way. A few stray dogwood blossoms peppered the planks, coloring them a pretty blush from far away. Tess paused briefly at the apex of the structure, gazing down into the water. The creek-bed was shallow but wide, and the merry little stream was buffeted into dancing eddies as it ran over the pebbles and stones. Tess felt a strange sensation as she stared out over the stream; not happy, not sad, just… potent. It was a little like what she'd felt in the dream, but not quite as intense.

_I feel… alone._

_I don't know him at all,_  Tess thought, remembering what she'd said to Dewey.  _I don't know him—but I want to._  She watched a pink petal drift on the breeze. She needed something. Something different. Jay was different.  _What even is this? Longing? Lust? God, why is everything so confusing. Maybe I really have gone insane._

Tess shook off the weird mood, resuming her walk with a new resolve in her step. The quicker she could get this done, the quicker she could lock herself in the fitness center and sweat all the feelings out.  _The only thing I need right now is a long session at the barre, followed by an hour or two beating a heavy bag till my knuckles bruise._ If she channeled all the sexual energy into ballet and boxing, maybe there'd be none left when it came time to sleep that night. She didn't know if her heart could take another encounter with dream-Jay.

~X~

Tess was creeping in the main lobby, agonizing quietly over where to leave the incriminating piece of leather in her hands, when a voice interrupted her stressed pacing.

"Hi," Carlos said, appearing at her elbow. Tess smothered a startled squeak.

"Oh hey, um, I was just—."

"Tess, right? I think we have Advanced Tech Theory together, after lunch on Mondays—hey, is that Jay's?"

Tess blinked. "Yeeaaah it is," she said, getting an idea. "I found it on the lawn last night and thought I should return it…?" She held the jacket out to Carlos. "Here. Can you make sure he gets it back? Thanks. Oh, see you in class!"

A moment later she was hightailing it once again. 


	4. Arabesque

Thanks for reading! Please review!

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**"But I don't want comfort. I want poetry. I want danger. I want freedom. I want goodness. I want sin."**

**— Aldous Huxley**

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The gym was deserted when Tess pushed through the wide double doors. Beyond the entrance, the expansive main room stretched up into vaulted ceilings and pretty skylights—the only source of light at the moment. The sun peaked in, throwing everything into a soft, almost serene shadow. Even the bulky free weights in the corner could not escape the wistful peace that settled over the gym on a Sunday afternoon; on a normal weekend, there might have been a few tourney players or cheerleaders plugging away on the machines, but Tess suspected the previous night's festivities had prompted more than the normal amount of students to have a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Tess shifted her duffel bag to her opposite shoulder as she threaded through the gym, not bothering to flip on the main lights. She headed to the back of the main area, through an unassuming door and into her favorite (indoor) place on campus: the dance studio. Besides the small elective class that met there twice a week, the only regular use the room got was from the even smaller group of advanced classical ballet dancers, most notably Lonnie. Tess herself was a member of the group, but where most of the others had gravitated more towards hip hop as they got older, Tess found herself falling in love with the contemporary style.

She ignored the light-switch here as well, instead opting to open the windows that stretched along two sides of the long room. Once the gauzy curtains were tied out of the way, Tess slid the panes back to let in some fresh air. This mixed with the studio's particular 'perfume'—the scent of old sweat, spandex and nylon, canvas and leather, and rosin from the shallow box at one end of the barre. Tess breathed deeply, slipping off her sweats and exchanging them for the pointe shoes and white athletic tape in her bag. She'd misplaced her gel pads somewhere in the chaos of the dorm room, so taped toes would have to suffice as she ran through a few warm up exercises en pointe.

The silence was only punctuated by the odd birdsong and rustle of breeze outside the windows. After only forty-five minutes on her toes, Tess had welcomed back that familiar buzz of constant pain the pointe shoes always brought.  _It used to take longer; I've been slacking._ As she went through a pirouette progression at the barre, she regretted not grabbing her speakers from the dorm; the gentle thrumming of a classical suite often helped temper the pain. It had been a while since she'd broken out her ballet shoes; the upcoming Festival had all the dancers scrambling to choreograph and practice their own routines for their preferred style competition, and Tess had been too busy rehearsing complicated floor work to worry about keeping up her pointe practice.

"Ow! Shit…" Tess sucked in a breath as she took a tumble, the nagging pain keeping her from concentrating fully. "Stupid fucking pirouettes," she muttered, shucking off the pointe shoes. It still gave her a bit of a thrill to curse in the studio, though she knew she'd only ever get away with it when she practiced alone; the royal dance teacher, Madame Althea, might have been young and friendly, but her inexplicable wrath at anyone who 'sullied her good name' by cursing in her presence was both swift and severe. Tess didn't quite know when she'd become such an accomplished potty mouth, but she assumed it occurred sometime between her short stint on the tourney team freshman year and moving in with Dewey.

"Fuck pointe. If I were still playing tourney, I'd never have to deal with these goddamn things again," she groused, rubbing at her sore feet. A moment later, the shoes went sailing over her shoulder as she tossed them towards her bag. Being part of the team had been fun, but when her grades started to suffer, she'd had to choose between dancing and tourney.  _Of course I just_ had _to choose dancing…_

~X~

"Jay, have you done your English homework yet?" Evie asked, her tone conveying only the slightest irritation. It had been about ten minutes since Jay had slumped onto the opposite bench of the picnic table she was currently using as a study spot. Her chemistry textbook and Mal's spell book lay open in front of her, and there was a persistent crease between her pretty brows as she tried to convert some of the more archaic units of measure in the grimoire. Jay mumbled a reply into his arms, which were currently swaddling his head as he leaned haphazardly onto the table. Evie's eyes darted up to catch his.  _Yep. Definitely a little irritated._

"We have that reflection assignment remember? Here use my book," she continued, turning to rummage in her backpack.

"Eh, I'll do it later…" Jay said, before flopping down to lay his back on the bench. He had been sporadically searching the AP campus all day, looking for Tess. There was a little twinge in his chest every time he thought of her, and how she couldn't even face giving him his jacket back in person; she was so scared of him that she'd made Carlos the middle man. Jay had been more confused than ever when Carlos had handed him the jacket. He'd never experienced a girl running away from him, after all; he wasn't quite sure what to do.

After walking through the main building for the third time, peeking in every open classroom, Jay had felt like a good plaintive pout might lift his spirits. When he'd run across Evie in the south courtyard, he took his chance to have a sulk in the company of a friend. Evie, on the other hand, was not in the most sympathetic mood.

She gave him a mild glare through narrowed eyes. "Why don't you just do it now? I'm not going to write it for you, you know. Leave it till tomorrow and you'll get zero credit."

"Jeez, obsessed much?" Jay's voice floated up from where he lay on the bench. He could practically feel Evie roll her eyes.

"Ugh, fine, whatever. Do what you want," she said, exasperated.

Jay heaved a sigh and sat up again, just in time to receive the most brilliantly bland, long-suffering look from Evie. He returned with his patented million watt shit-eating grin, before reaching for the English text she'd pushed to his side of the table.

"Relax, Evie. I got this," he assured her, flipping through the book with no real intent. The corner of Evie's mouth twitched, breaking into a small smile.

"I know, I know," she scoffed, returning to her calculations. Jay thumbed through a short story about dancing princesses, then a novel excerpt where the story was based in the jungle.

"I'm sensing a theme here…" he muttered, pout nearly returning.

"A theme in what?" Evie glanced over. "Princesses? Ooh, maybe I'll write my essay on that."

Distracted, Jay handed her back the book. "Hey, do you know Tess Porter?" He thrummed his fingers on the table, handsome face contorting into a nearly troubled expression.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, the cute brown haired girl" Evie answered, not looking up from her sudden interest in the English text. "She takes dance class with Lonnie." Jay stilled. Dance class…

"Where do they have it?" He asked, but Evie was immersed in the story she was reading. "Evie. Yo, E!"

Evie glanced up, a delicate frown on her lips. "What?"

It was Jay's turn to roll his eyes. "The dance class, E. Where do they have it?" Evie straightened her posture, looking thoughtful.

"In the fitness center," she said. "Wait, why do you want to know?"

"No reason!" Jay was up and off towards the fitness center before Evie could even register his answer.

_Man, I'm so awesome at finding people. I could do this for a living._  Jay congratulated himself as he crossed the main quad, jogging down the stone steps towards the athletic fields and gymnasium. The few students he passed on the way there waved and smiled at him; it took Jay till the third one to remember he should smile and wave back. He didn't even pick pocket any of them.  _Making some damn good progress, if I do say so myself. Though that one guy's watch was pretty cool looking…_

He arrived at the fitness center before he could decide on whether to go back for the watch. No one stopped him as he walked through the main doors and into the huge gym, not even when he snooped around the machines for forgotten valuables. As he checked the treadmills for loot, Jay noticed the quiet. It didn't seem like anyone was around at all.  _Now, if I were a dance classroom, where would I be…_  There was only a few doors off the main room: one he knew was a janitor's closet (thanks to that flirty sophomore from two weeks ago) and two of the others were marked as locker rooms. That only left the door at the far end of the back wall.

Beyond the door, he found Tess. She was doing those twirly things in front of a long mirror, eyes closed in concentration. Jay held back for a moment, uncertain of whether he should interrupt her. He tilted his head as he watched her, trying to mentally catalogue her movements so he could repeat them himself. Every twist and turn she made was sleek and precise; he got the feeling she'd been doing this a long time. After a moment, he began to notice other things about her. The way some wispy bits of hair escaped from her bun and stuck to her neck, the compact curves and leanly muscled lines that made up her body…

"Ow, shit!" Tess tripped up suddenly, falling on her butt. Jay made a move to help her up, but then she started cursing, and he had to hold back a laugh. "Stupid fucking pirouettes," she muttered, untie-ing the weirdly shaped pink shoes on her feet. "Fuck pointe. If I were still playing tourney, I'd never have to deal with these goddamn things again." She tossed the shoes unceremoniously over her shoulder.

"You'd just have to deal with getting tackled," Jay said. Tess gave a strangled cry and whipped around to look at him.

_Shit, I did it again._

" _Fuck_  man, seriously?!" Tess fell onto the floor, hand over her heart, almost gasping for air. Jay wanted to laugh at the dramatics, but something told him that was a bad idea.

"Uh, heh, sorry," he said instead, working a little to turn his smirk into a guilty smile. She tossed him a withering glare.

"How long were you even standing there?" She was wearing these tiny spandex shorts and a long sleeve sweater, the sleeves of which she had begun to push up in what could be called a threatening display. Jay tried to focus more on the sweater than the shorts.

"Not long. I saw you do some of those twirly things last night, you know," he said. At the mention of last night, Tess sobered visibly, going from rage to tensed in point three seconds flat. Jay proceeded carefully. "I'd wanted to ask you to teach me, but you left before I could…" He kept his voice mild, and began walking the perimeter of the room, pretending to take interest in the box of chalky dust while glancing at Tess out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh. Right. Yeah. Sorry? About that?" Tess's cheeks grew a little pink.  _Same color as her shoes were_ , Jay thought, still determined to avoid thinking about how her legs looked in those shorts. "I uh, I gave your jacket to Carlos this morning. Did he, um, did you get it?"

"The jacket, right. Yeah I did," he said, perusing the windows. The agitation rolling off her was palpable. Jay felt disappointed; he'd hoped last night had been a one-off, that she really wasn't scared of him.

"Ah. Good," she said. He noticed her inching towards her bag.

"Yeah." Jay swung around to fully face her. "Tess, are you scared of me?"

Tess went a little pale. Jay thought that was as good as a confession, but then her eyes got all big, and her head started to shake. "What?! Oh, oh no Jay, I'm not—why would you think I was scared of you? I'm not, I promise, you're not even the least bit frightening!"

Jay cocked his head as she fretted. There was truth in her voice; she seemed genuinely concerned at the thought… but there was something in her eyes. Something strained. "Then why'd you run?" he asked, stepping closer and watching to see if she stepped away from him. Tess wilted, but moved closer too. Jay let himself hope.

Tess opened her mouth, seemed to think better of it, then cringed a little as she said, "Look, it wasn't your fault at all, okay? I just have some social anxiety issues… got a little overwhelmed, made a dick move. It was all me. Please don't think that you did anything to make me uncomfortable, because you didn't, I swear." It all came out in a bit of a jumble, but from what Jay could sense, it was the truth.

"Oh. Okay," he smiled. "I'm sorry about your anxiety. Carlos gets that way too. I know it can be a bitch sometimes."

The nervous energy slowly drained from Tess's posture. Her face took on an open quality that he'd yet to see on her. "Very true," she paused, sighing. "If you want to let him know, the counselor's here are really good. It's free for all students, the therapy sessions I mean."

Jay rubbed the back of his neck, surprised. "I didn't know that. Thanks." If Jay were being honest, all four of them probably needed therapy, not just Carlos. He moved to join her at her duffel bag in the corner. "So, about those twirly things…"


End file.
